UNFORTUNATE AWAKENING
by Phat Irish Guy
Summary: A bizarre find in Antarctica leads a top USGS geophysicist to assemble a task force.


-1EARTH TASK FORCE PYROMAN: EPISODE 1- "UNFORTUNATE AWAKENING"

"Dammit, Hawkes… we've been walking for an hour through this Godforsaken waste of land, and we don't even know what we're looking for!"

"Quit your whining, Scapes… yeah, this place sucks- but it beats prison."

The 2 had been bickering almost since they left their Antarctic base camp… it was the first week of Summer in the Southern Hemisphere, but that did not matter in Antarctica…

"Wait… you guys! I got something!" A third man, holding some kind of tracking device, noted.

"Well, you know what to do." Hawkes replied.

Scapes proceeded remove his backpack and pull out several powerful thermite charges…

(Music insert- Weezer, "Undone The Sweater Song")

It was another sunny day at the newly built USGS satellite building in Los Angeles. In a small office, cluttered with papers, photos and diplomas, a young man sits before a computer. He's tall, stocky, a meat-and-potatoes guy. His auburn hair is brushed back and has a slight spike to it. His bulky blue sweater only adds to the illusion of imposing size. A photo ID badge around the young man's neck reveals his name is Dana Norris.

"If you want to destroy my sweater… hold this thread as I walk away…" Dana sings along with the music quietly wafting from his computer speakers, absentmindedly fiddling with a pen in his left hand. The music is soon superseded by an alarming "beep". Dana shuffles from his reclined position and studies the screen. The pen in his hand drops to the table. "Wait… this can't be right…" he mutters to himself as he types a few keys on the keyboard. He gets up from his chair and motions towards the door, but it opens before Dana can reach it; revealing his boss, Dr. Charles Dreyfus- a large, heavyset older man in a red polo shirt and black jeans.

"Sir! I was just about to…" Dana stammered.

"I know, I know, I saw it too." replied Dr. Dreyfus, grabbing Dana's arm as he continued, "I've been hoping this day would never come."

"What day? What's going on?" Dana asked.

"Just follow me… I have something to show you." came Dreyfus' reply. As if Dana could break the death grip Dreyfus had on his arm.

Dreyfus leads Dana down a myriad of hallways, with alarms and activity increasing as they go deeper and deeper into the building. Finally, as they reach a door at the end of a long, underground hallway, Dreyfus releases Dana's arm, then turns to him and grabs his shoulders.

"Now, Dana- you have to swear to me that you won't tell anyone of what you're about to see." Dreyfus says.

"Sure, whatever." Dana replies, a little perplexed.

Dreyfus swipes his badge through a reader next to the door. As it automatically slides open, the room behind it automatically illuminates. On one wall, behind glass partitions, 5 suits are visible- red, white, blue, yellow and green. On another wall, behind more partitions, sit 5 weapons- a red sword, a white whip-type device, a large blue cannon, a pair of yellow sais, and a green sniper-style rifle. In the middle of the room, 5 small oval-shaped devices sit on a table. 4 are silver, one is gold.

"Jesus Christ, what have you been working on down here?" Dana muttered, a look of shock over his face.

Dreyfus opens his mouth to answer, when the door slides open again. A man briskly walks into the command center- 45-ish, looking much like an older version of Dana, wearing a grey and black plaid shirt and tan khakis. "I just heard the alarm…" the man says as he walks over to the 2 men.

"DAD!" Dana exclaims.

"Thanks for coming, Sean." said Dreyfus to Dana's dad.

"Have you filled Dana in yet?" asked Sean.

"That'd be nice!" Dana replied.

"Okay, okay… Dana, you've been tapped to fight as a member of a top-secret military defense task force." Dreyfus explained.

" 'Task force?' Against what?" inquired Dana.

"Think about it, Dana. What do you think could have been released from a large thermite charge explosion centered in Antarctica?" Sean asked.

Dana thought for a second. "No way. No fucking way." he stammered.

"Now calm down, Dana- we're not 100 sure on this as of yet, but all indications are that…" Dreyfus said.

"So it wasn't killed after all…" Dana interrupted.

"We had a feeling it wasn't. So a while back, your father and I began creating a defense system on the off-chance that this thing resurfaces. Your dad began training himself in order to operate these new weapons, but…" Dreyfus began explaining.

"But unfortunately, my heart condition kept me from going too far into the training procedure." Sean finished.

"Well, this explains a lot." Dana said, continuing, "the home-schooling until grade 9, the wrestling classes, martial arts training, the endless Sammo Hung flicks…"

"That's right… not long after I was diagnosed with the heart condition, I did some research and found that many of our relatives and ancestors carried the same affliction- so I had you tested. Once your results came back negative for the defective gene, I began preparing you for, well, today." Sean explained.

Dana takes a moment to let this sink in. "So who else is involved in this? I see 5 suits, 5 weapons, 5... whatever-the-hell _those _are…" he says, gesturing towards the pedestal holding the devices.

"Well, we're going to figure that out right now. Come on. Sean, you stay here and wait for our guest." Dreyfus says.

"Where're we going?" Dana asks.

"Just follow me to the van and stop asking so many damn questions!" a frustrated Dreyfus asserts as he leads Dana outside to a red 15-passenger Dodge van.

"Seriously, you're freaking me out a little here… where are we going?" Dana asked again.

"The region wide chess tournament's going on at the high school as we speak… they couldn't have had better timing." said Dreyfus.

" 'Chess tournament?'" Dana asked.

"You'd be surprised… an intelligent and careful thinker would definitely be an asset to the team." Dreyfus answered.

"You can't be serious- I'm pretty sure even I could take those guys in a fight." scoffed Dana.

"Don't be too sure of yourself." replied Dreyfus as the van pulled into the high school parking lot.

Dana and Dreyfus survey the tournament in the high school gymnasium, with many games going on around them.

"Look around… keep your eye open for anyone unusual." said Dreyfus.

After walking around a bit, Dana taps on Dreyfus' chest as he points-

"That guy looks pretty unusual, if you ask me." remarked Dana.

The man Dana's pointing to is fully engrossed in the game. What sets him apart is his apparel- everyone else is dressed very preppy, except for this man, who is wearing some worn blue jeans, black boots, and a red wife beater covered by a black leather jacket. He's got a thin, yet muscular build, and his hair is short and spiked.

Dreyfus leans in and whispers to Dana, "Looks like you've found a winner!", just as the man calls "Checkmate".

The man's female opponent is in shock; but she manages to utter, "Cheating bastard…" before walking out.

"Bravo! Very impressive, ah, Gage." Dreyfus gushes as he reads the name on the man's entry badge.

"Thanks, man… now, if you'll excuse me…" Gage says.

"Wait a second!" Dreyfus calls out.

"What?" Gage asks, as he turns to face Dreyfus.

"All right… I'm not going to beat around the bush here. My name is Dr. Charles Dreyfus, this is my associate, Dana Norris. We're with the United States Geological Survey." Dreyfus explains.

"Damnit, the one government branch I thought I couldn't get in trouble with…" says Gage.

"No, no, you're not in trouble… not yet, anyway… you see, I've been charged with recruiting a task force to act as a last line of defense against a possible extra-terrestrial attack. Someone with your smarts would be a very valuable asset to us." replied Dreyfus.

" 'Extra-terrestrial attack?' You mean like Alien, X-Files, the Faculty, all that? You gotta be kidding." Gage replies.

"I'm afraid not. Look, you don't have to make up your mind right now, just come with us and we'll explain everything on the road." Dreyfus explains.

"Meh… it's not like I have anything else to do…" shrugged Gage as he left with Dreyfus and Dana.

"Shotgun!" called Gage as they approached the van.

"Sorry, fella- it's mine." replied Dana.

"I'll Rochambeau you for it." shot Gage.

"Better idea- paper, rock, scissors." Dana retorted.

"You're on- 1, 2, 3..." Gage draws paper, Dana draws scissors.

"Ha-ha!" Dana chortled, doing his best Nelson Muntz.

"All right, kids- stop with the games and get in." said Dreyfus.

"So, Gage- you know any really good mechanics? Someone who could be trained to repair extremely complex and advanced vehicles?" Dreyfus asked as he maneuvered the van through traffic.

"Oh yeah… I know a guy… he can fix almost anything, but…"

Gage is interrupted as Dreyfus turns up a police scanner mounted in the van's dash.

"Attention all units… Be advised… possible hostage situation at BankWest; all available officers needed…" barked the voice on the scanner.

"Hold that thought…" said Dreyfus to Gage as he puts the van on 2 wheels performing a U-turn.

"This is awesome!" Gage shouted as the van plopped back on all fours.

"What the hell are you doing!" asked Dana.

"We're on our way to get our weapons expert." replied Dreyfus.

"Sir, you realize you're driving us straight into a _hostage situation,_ right?" Dana panicked.

"Would you quiet down? Jesus Christ, you're always watching those damn cop shows anyway- maybe this'll be good for ya." Dreyfus shot back.

Dana quiets down as the van hustles another couple blocks before screeching to a halt across the street from the held-up bank. The 3 occupants exit and quickly crouch next to the drivers' door of the van. The bank robber is now outside the front door, waving what looks to be a Walther P38 handgun with one hand while holding a teller hostage with the other. Gage tries to lunge at the suspect but is quickly subdued by Dana and Dreyfus.

"Jesus Christ, kid- you have some sort of death wish?" Dreyfus whispered angrily.

"Come on- I could have taken him. That gun doesn't even look real." Gage retorted.

Suddenly a single shot rings out, and the assailant's gun shatters into pieces on the sidewalk below. He releases his hostage and tries to run but is quickly apprehended.

"Holy shit, did you see that?" Gage remarked.

"I sure did…" Dreyfus responded in shock, continuing, "Come on. We've gotta find out who fired that shot."

Dana looked around, then tapped his boss on the shoulder.

"Sir- look." Dana said.

Dreyfus turned his head to see a slender, young, dirty-blonde haired man approaching them, a sniper rifle slung over his shoulder, carrying a large duffel bag in his free hand, garbed in SWAT gear. Dreyfus, Gage, and Dana stood from the van and approached him.

"Can I help you?" asked the young man.

"You sure can… I'm assuming you were the source of that shot, right?" Dreyfus replied.

"Well, yes, but…" the young man managed.

"Look. My name is Dr. Charles Dreyfus, and these are my associates, Dana Norris, and, ah…" Dreyfus trailed off.

"Gage… Gage MacReady." Gage finished.

"Gage MacReady." Dreyfus continued. "We're with the United States Geological Survey… I've been charged with assembling a team to combat a possible extraterrestrial global threat, and I'm going to need someone who's experienced with the usage and repair of weapons and munitions, and Mr., ah, 'Garry', you could be the guy I'm looking for." Dreyfus finished, reading the young man's name tag pinned on his uniform.

"It's Jason Garry…" the young man replied. "Can I have a word with your friends?"

Jason took Dana and Gage aside.

"Guys, run right now. Your boss or whoever the hell he is has either gone crazy or senile, or both." he said.

"Nah… as crazy as it sounds, it's true. Ask the fat kid." Gage replied.

"Well?" Jason asked, turning to Dana.

"Yeah, it's all true… he and my dad have been watching this thing for years and now it's decided to show itself again." sighed Dana.

Jason's expression changed, as if a light switch had gone off in his head.

"This, 'thing' as you call it, was it found in Antarctica?" Jason asked.

"Yes, but…" Dana managed before Jason turned around and approached Dreyfus.

"All right, I'm in. If this thing is what I think it is, you're going to need all the help you can get." Jason confirmed to Dreyfus.

"So you're already aware of it? How?" Dreyfus asked.

"Long story… let's go." Jason said as he made his way towards Dreyfus' van.

"Wait a second- where'd Dana wander off to?" Dreyfus asked.

Dana had meandered off to check out the crime scene. Seeing all the law enforcement officers and the high activity gave him a strange sort of adrenaline rush, a feeling he was uncontrollably addicted to. He found himself standing by the shattered pieces of the suspect's weapon. Noticing something odd, he goes down on one knee to inspect the parts- then calls out-

"Hey! All of you, come'ere!"

Jason, Dreyfus, and Gage ran over to Dana.

"Check it out- Gage was right. It was a fake." noted Dana, holding up one of the shards- it was plastic and had a purple Transformers' Decepticon logo emblazoned on it.

"That idiot used a fucking Transformer to rob a bank… unbelievable." uttered Gage as they made their way back to the van.

"All right kids, let's get back to work- Gage, you said you knew a mechanic?"

"Uh, yeah… like I said, he's a bit scatterbrained but he can fix anything." Gage replied. "And, he works at that garage across the street." he finished.

The group walks across the street, and Gage approaches the garage door and knocks a few times. Destiny's Child's "Lose My Breath" can faintly be heard coming from a stereo inside the office.

"Yo, Leaves- you in there?" asked Gage.

"His name is 'Leaves'?" Dreyfus inquires.

"His parents were hippies." Gage answers.

"Oh…" manages Dreyfus.

The garage door pops open, revealing a man, early thirties, wearing jeans and a green pot-leaf teeshirt under a blue denim vest.

"Hey, Mac… what's up." the man managed, obviously buzzed. "Who are your friends?" he continued.

"They're with the government…" Gage said before Leaves cuts him off-

"Oh, hey… I swear, that shit in the garage isn't mine…" Leaves mumbled, half not caring.

Suddenly, the main office door swung open; a young, African-American woman stalks out wearing coveralls over a yellow tee.

"Goddammit, Mac- how many times I got to tell you to leave my help alone while they workin!" the irate woman demanded.

"Destiny, Destiny, chill out! I actually have reason to bother him today." Gage coolly replied.

"Dr. Dreyfus, meet Destiny Childs. Destiny, Dr. Dreyfus. Go ahead, tell her." Gage said as he introduced the two.

"As Gage here mentioned, my name is Dr. Charles Dreyfus with the United States Geological Survey. I've been charged with the task of putting together a team to combat a possible biohazard threat centered in Antarctica…"

"Hold up." Destiny interrupted. "Did y'all just say 'biohazard threat centered in Antarctica'?"

"Yes, but…" Dreyfus said, a bit bewildered. Before he could finish, Destiny was already in his van.

"Goddamn, y'all need to hurry up or I'm going to take this van myself." she yelled out the window.

"Jesus Christ, does everyone know about this thing?" Dreyfus asked as he and the other 2 returned to the van across the street, leaving Leaves alone. He shrugs and pops back into the garage.

"I guess introductions are in order… my name's Jason." he said, "and the guy in the sweater is Dana, I think, right?"

Dana waves from the front passenger seat.

"He doesn't talk much." Gage noted.

"I guess, damn!" Destiny replied.

Suddenly, Dreyfus' phone goes off. He opens it and answers-

"Dreyfus. Really, she's there? Excellent… I've got the rest of the team finished; I'm on my way back. Ok, bye." He shuts the phone and accelerates.

"Where are we going?" Gage inquired.

"You'll see when we get there." Dreyfus responds.

Meanwhile, a man sits in a dark office… he's dressed in a completely black, pinstriped business suit. His fingers form arches in front of his face as he swivels his chair to face a thick plexiglass wall. An elevated platform descends to the floor on the opposite side of the partition- on it are the 5 Antarctic explorers.

"Duncan, you gotta let us in… we didn't find it… Hawkes lost 2 fingers to frostbite…" Scapes plead.

"I don't think so… assimilation looks rather painful." the man croaked. He opened his phone and hit a button on the keypad. Suddenly, bolts of electricity shot through the room the explorers occupied. They convulsed and shook; every inch of their bodies sprouting mouths and tentacles before finally congealing and expanding into a huge mess of sinew, tendons and goo.

"Excellent…" the man hissed.

"All right, we're here… now, you have to promise me you will not tell anybody what you're about to see." Dreyfus said as he led the 4 recruits down the same long hallway leading up to the Command Center door. The recruits all agreed, and with that, Dreyfus opened the door. Sean was already seated at the table in the middle of the room, comparing notes and charts with a young blonde woman, dressed in a white sleeveless blouse, jean shorts, and white boots.

"Ladies and gentlemen, have a seat." Dreyfus said, gesturing to the table.

"First of all, I'd like to introduce you to Katie Blair, a top-ranked microbiologist working with the Centers for Disease Control. She's been heading up a covert study on the makeup and abilities of this being. Any words?"

"Thank you, Dr. Dreyfus. I'm going to cut right to the chase and let you know what we're facing. What we're up against is an extremely hostile extraterrestrial life form that operates by absorbing, and then imitating other life forms- and imitating them perfectly." Katie explained.

"So theoretically, say, Dana could actually be an alien?" Gage asked.

"In theory… but we've already taken measures with him to make sure he is who he says he is. Dana?" said Katie.

Dana unbuttoned the top buttons of his blue workshirt and stretched his sweater collar over the left side of his chest, revealing a small green clover tattoo.

"So the kid had some ink done… Destiny's got one on her shoulder, and my arms are covered- does that mean we're human?" inquired Gage.

"Well, yes. You see, this alien cannot imitate non-cellular objects, so if you've had plastic surgery, or a tattoo you're ok as long as the artist used man-made ink." Katie replied. "Well, it can still take you over, it will just be more obvious that you're no longer yourself." she added.

"Well, now that you've successfully scared the shit out of us, are you going to show us how to stop this thing?" Gage asked.

"Yes, yes, of course… Sean?" said Dreyfus.

Sean stood up and addressed the group.

"Ladies and gentlemen, my name is Dr. Sean Norris. Myself, along with Dr. Dreyfus, have been studying this life form for over 20 years and have spent much of that time developing a series of weapons and defenses should it ever resurface. First, I'll go over these- your Pyrosuits." said Sean as he lead the team over to the plexiglass partition.

"Once donned, the suit gives its wearer exponentially enhanced speed, strength, and stamina. And more importantly for this mission, they are corrosion-resistant." Sean explains.

"How do they work?" Dana asked his father.

"With these." replied Sean, gesturing towards the pedistal holding the devices.

"These are your PyroChangers." said Sean, removing them from the pedistal. "They transmit the suits to your body when activated." he continued as he passed the devices to the recruits. "When in obvious danger, hold the device away from your body and hit the red button on the lefthand side of the unit."

"Uh… Dad? How come mine is gold, while everyone elses' is silver?"

"Yours has already been DNA linked- you'll be leading the team as PyroRed." Sean replied, matter-of-factly.

"WHAT? I'm sorry, ladies and gentlemen… I can't lead the team… I'm not up to it!" Dana panicked.

"Dammit, Dana! I'm going to have to reconfigure the devices if you step down- that could take days!" Sean protested.

"Whatever. You and I both know I'm much better at taking orders than giving them." Dana retorted as he placed his Changer on the table. Destiny made a dive for it before Gage stopped her-

"We'll need someone with a more level head." he said as Destiny shot him a look.

"All right, all right, now that that's settled…" Dreyfus starts, when he is interrupted by an incoming message on the large video screen in the command center.

"Who the hell could this be?" Dreyfus asked as he hit a button on the console. "God Dammit!" Dreyfus uttered as he recognized the figure on the screen.

"Surprised to see me?" the well dressed man on the screen hissed.

"Not entirely." Dreyfus conceded.

"Who's that?" asked Destiny.

"Your worst nightmare…" the man replied.

"Kids, that- is Nigel Duncan… for years he has been searching for the biohazard, in order to use it for his own nefarious purposes." Dreyfus confirmed. "I'm assuming you found it." he continued.

The man on the screen just laughed as the transmission faded.

"Uh oh… guys, look at this." Sean said, just as the transmission ended, pointing to a surveillance camera screen.

"This is not good, not good!" Dana panicked, referring to the 10 dog-faced humanoids descending on the building.

"You guys go up there and try to hold them off. Sean and I will work on getting your changers back on line." Dreyfus ordered, glaring at Dana.

(Music insert- "Breathe", The Prodigy)

The door of the Satellite building exploded open as the 5 teammates rushed out.

"Uhh… all right- spread out! We each take 2!" Dana called out.

The group put up a valiant effort, but before long they were surrounded and backed against the wall of the building.

"Any more ideas, Mr. 'I'm not up to it?'" Gage mockingly asked.

"Hey, I said I was sorry, alright?" Dana shot back, half keeping an eye on the advancing mongrels.

Suddenly, Dana's phone went off.

"Guys! The changers are working now! Go ahead and use them!" Sean shouted over Dana's speakerphone.

(Music insert- "Save Yourself", Stabbing Westward)

"All right, All right! We've got no choice now!" Dana called out, pulling his changer from his back pocket. He held the device from his body and hit the red button with his thumb. Instantly, the blue suit and helmet formed around him. He took a wrestling stance.

Next was Katie. She simply nodded as she grabbed her changer from her pocket and did as Dana did. She took a crane stance after her white suit materialized around her body.

Then Jason. After activating his green suit, he took a military stance.

"Let's do this." Destiny uttered as she activated her changer. A yellow suit formed around her and she took a boxing stance.

Finally, Gage activated his red suit and took a stance much like Cody from Final Fight. "Now, where were we?" he taunted as the team rushed at the grunts again. This time, they had no problems dispatching of them.

"Yeah! Now what!" boasted Yellow.

"Calm down, Destiny… now is not the time for celebration. We need all of you back in the command center, right now." said Dreyfus.

"Hold up- how can we hear him?" Yellow asked.

"My dad probably designed these helmets with wireless intercom speakers." Blue replied.

"Damn dude thought of everything, huh?" Yellow muttered as the group re-entered the building, removing their helmets as they came back into the command center.

"All right everyone, have a seat. We still had much to show you before we were so rudely interrupted." said Dreyfus.

"Like what?" Dana asked.

"Well, your surveillance helmet, for example." Sean replied.

"My what?" Dana said, looking at his helmet on the table.

"About 10 years ago, a colleague of my brother's designed a device called 'Spider Legs'. Its purpose was to collect data from volcanos to determine whether or not they were in danger of erupting." Dreyfus explained.

"Yeah, yeah, I remember Spider Legs." recalled Dana. "Wait a second- you're telling me you were able to somehow condense Spider Legs to fit in my helmet?"

"Look in the pocket on the right side of your belt." Dreyfus instructed. Dana did so and pulled out what looked to be a Nintendo DS.

"And I control it with this, right?" Dana said as he pulled the stylus from the back of the device and opened the screen. Instantly, 8 spindly robodic legs extended from the helmet, as the 2 black "eyes" above either side of the visor protruded out, almost 8 inches above the helmet.

"Damn, that's the creepiest thing I ever saw…" Destiny uttered as Dana maneuvered the device around the room.

"Your screen shows everything the helmet sees- plus it gives a readout of any noxious gasses, minute changes in the ground beneath it, seismic activity… but you'll mostly be using it to keep an eye on things when it might be too dangerous to send a person in." Sean explained.

"All right, playtime's over." Dreyfus bellowed. "What's say we tell our team about their new arsenal?"

"Sure thing. Follow me." Sean directed as he led the team to a Plexiglas partition separating them from their weapons. He hit a red button on the wall, causing the Plexiglas to retract. He reached for the large blue cannon and presented it to Dana.

"Dana, since you did forfeit your position in the team, this cannon will serve as your weapon. The Blue PyroCannon has the ability to shoot a concentrated water stream up to 350 feet at 4 times the pressure of the most powerful firehose. It can also fire a steady shot of super-frozen ice, cold enough to incapacitate an assailant for up to 20 minutes." Sean explained, continuing, "and because it uses hydrogen and oxygen already present in the atmosphere, you'll never run out of ammunition." He then grabbed the white tape-measure looking device and handed it to Katie.

Katie, your weapon is the PyroWhip. It's capable of extending up to 100 feet and can constrict with the force of 10 boas. In addition, it can be fully straightened and used as a sword.

Katie studied her new weapon as Sean retrieved the green rifle from its holding spot.

"Jason, this is your PyroRifle. Its sniper scope enables you to focus in on a target at a distance of 2 ½ miles. It's capable of accepting any type of ammunition and can also detach into 2 smaller rifles in case you need to cover both sides." Sean explained.

"Sweet- John Woo style…" Jason remarked.

"Yes, quite…" Sean replied as he detached the small yellow knives and handed them to Katie.

"Katie, these are your PyroSais. They're sharp enough to cut the toughest diamond and can join together at the ends and extend to form a double-sided staff."

"Now that's what's up." Destiny remarked as she received her weapon.

Sean hesitated as he reached for the 32" sword.

"I can't do it… Would you mind, Charlie?" he asked.

"Christ almighty…" Dreyfus uttered as he took the sword and handed it to Gage.

"Gage, this is the PyroSword. In addition to being sharper than the finest razor, it's capable of expelling a white-hot flame up to 80 feet from its blade."

"This is awesome!" Gage replied, before accidentally slicing the chair behind him in half.

"God help us all…" Dreyfus muttered as he pinched the bridge of his nose and turned away.

Dreyfus turned back as he said, "Now, ladies and gentlemen- this is not going to be an easy task. You five are the only people standing between life as we know it, and the extinction of every living thing on earth. Your lives will be on the line every time you activate that suit. If any of you feel like you're not up to it, now's the time to speak up."

Silence.

"Well, that's that. Your changers are equipped with beepers should you need to be summoned for any reason. Now, you five are going to be spending a lot of time together in the coming months. What say we all go out to lunch? My treat." Dreyfus continued.

"Um, sir- we can't go out looking like this." Dana said, referring to the team's still-active suits.

"Good point. Nobody can know that any of you are a part of this team. The good news is, all you need to do is this." Dreyfus removed the Pyrochanger from Dana's belt, reverting him back to his normal clothes as Dreyfus hands him back the Changer. The others follow suit, and before long all of them except Sean are out the door.

"Sean, you coming? Remember, it's my treat." Dreyfus said as he poked his head back in the door.

Sean continued with his work, as if nobody was talking to him.

"What's the problem?" Dreyfus asked.

"I don't really want to be around Dana right now, all right?" Sean shot back.

"Look. You can't blame the kid for not wanting to head up the team. Think about it- when did you ever give him a chance to make a decision for himself?" asked Dreyfus.

"Well…" Sean conceded.

"And how do you expect a person to take command of a task force like this when every single aspect of his life has been controlled by someone else?" said Dreyfus.

"All right, all right, you made your point. Let me just grab my jacket and I'll be right with you." replied Sean.

"Good. We'll be in the van." Dreyfus said as he left again.

As Sean left the command center and locked the door behind him, he failed to notice a young man with long, dirty blonde hair lurking in the shadows. The man waited until everyone had left, then tried frantically to enter the command center. His attempts fail, for now…

Coming soon, Episode 2- WHO GOES THERE


End file.
